Fictional
by Partly
Summary: Jack's life in fiction.


Jack Bauer opened his locker (the one labeled with his name - _Paul Travis_) and traded his coat for his tool belt. He didn't look up when the wind caught the shop door and slammed it open. Or when Dean and Toby started in on their usual shouting match over what station to listen to. After three years on the run he'd stopped tensing at every noise. Stopped seeing Special Forces and snipers lurking in every shadow. Stopped seeing foreign agents and kidnappers in the face of everyone he met. Most days, at least.

"Mornin', Paul." Fred Tippin opened the locker next to Jack's and sat on the bench to put on his shoes. "Missed you at the bar Saturday."

"Yeah," Jack said. "Sorry 'bout that. Didn't feel up to it." He had planned on meeting them at the bar, the regular night out. Only Saturday had been Kim's birthday. Somewhere there'd been a celebration with presents and cake and family. He only remembered spending five birthdays with her. Couldn't recall what the last gift he'd given her was.

He'd spent the weekend lost in a couple bottles of whiskey.

"Don't worry. Nothing big happened." Fred laughed. "Well, unless you count Toby's wife coming in and draggin' him off because he was supposed to be at a wedding." He shook his head. "Don't know what the idiot was doin' at the bar anyhow. His wife looked damn hot in the little number she was wearing. I certainly wouldn't have been fightin' to stay away, if you know what I mean."

Jack nodded but didn't comment. He had no right to pass judgment on people who didn't appreciate it when they had a good thing.

Country music suddenly flooded the room. Dean must have won the battle for radio stations. A minute later the young kid was standing next to them. "You think Toby would learn," he said without preamble. "I'm the rock-scissors-paper champ."

Jack looked into the grinning face and wondered if he'd ever been that young. Dean was a good kid, though. "Is that so?" Jack asked.

"You bet." Dean laughed and tossed his pack into his locker. When he pulled off his coat a paperback fell to the floor.

Jack reached down to pick it up for him, but froze when he saw the title: **"Dead by Morning – A Jack Bauer thriller!"** A picture of a man holding a sniper's rifle stared up at him from the cover.

"Paul? You okay?"

"Yeah." Jack grabbed the book and flipped it over, scanning the blurb on the back. "Didn't realize you could read, that's all."

Dean laughed good-naturedly. "I try not to let to many people around here know. Hate to make them feel bad that they can't, you know."

Jack wasn't listening. The words on the back of the book captured his attention.

_A new threat to the nation forces Jack Bauer out of hiding, dragging him back into the world he vowed that he'd never return to. As terrorists plot to destroy what we hold most precious, Jack's return to the Counter Terrorist Unit starts a chain of events that may ultimately bring down the nation._

_But even more than that, it could risk the life of the only person he still loves: His daughter, Kim._

He had to stop reading. "What is this?" He waved the book at Dean.

"You haven't heard about the Bauer series? They're all bestsellers." Dean's enthusiasm was tangible. "This is the fourth in the series. Rumor has it that they're written by a real guy who worked for the government but is now in hiding somewhere." Dean took the book from him. "Each book is about how Bauer has to go out and save the country from a terrorist threat. In this one, Bauer has to stop this Islamic extremist who plans on releasing stolen chemical weapons in different places around the country."

Jack stared dumbly at Dean, unable to think.

"Ah, Kid," Fred came to Jack's rescue. "You shouldn't read that crap. Wasn't the series written up in Newsweek as an example of glorifying torture and vigilantism? Didn't some whacko radio conservative claim it should be used as a training manual for the military?"

Dean waved off the comments. "It's just a book, Fred. And it's really not about that stuff at all. It's really all about Bauer and the choices he has to make and the sacrifices he's forced into. Some colleges use the series in their philosophy courses. It's full of impossible, unwinnable situations and how Bauer has to deal with them."

Jack sat heavily on the bench behind him, not quite able to process the conversation. He ran his had across his face.

"You can dress it up all you want, Kid," Fred said. "You shouldn't glorify animals like Bauer. Even in fiction." He shut his locker and headed toward the shop.

Dean laughed, turning to Jack. "And you wonder why I don't spread it around that I read." He paused a moment, then held out the book. "You want to read it? You should really start with first book, because it sets up what happened to his family, and all, but…"

The cover of the book blurred as Jack stared at it. "No." Jack felt sick. What he wanted was to burn the damn book. "It's not my thing."

"Okay." Dean shrugged. "But you should give it a try. Bauer is so cool. He's this one-man army, out saving the world. An American James Bond, only tougher." He set the book in his locker and grinned at Jack. "I mean, it's just him against the world, taking on terrorists and saving the day. Is there anything more awesome than that?" He slammed the locker closed and walked away.

Nausea swept over Jack and he had to drop his head to his knees to keep from vomiting. He closed his eyes and saw images of Kim and Teri dance in front of him. "Yes," he said, "there is."


End file.
